The Cayman Islands has set a new visitation record, thanks in part to solid Canadian growth.

The Caribbean nation ended 2019 with record-breaking air arrivals, highlighting another year of steady growth in airlift and accommodations. For the calendar year 2019, air arrivals reached 502,739, which represents an 8.6 per cent increase over the same period in 2018, or 39,738 additional persons. This is the highest number of stayover visits in recorded history (surpassing 2018).

Overall, the top source markets for stayover arrivals continued their impressive growth with an increase in arrivals from the United States (33,293 more visitors than 2018), Canada (3,525 more visitors than 2018), and the United Kingdom (829 more visitors than 2018).

According to statistics provided by Cayman Airways, Cayman Brac arrivals - which includes both visitors and residents - were up seven percent, with approximately 4,350 more passengers in 2019 compared to 2018. In total there were 62,911 passengers in 2019 – a new record for this route. For Little Cayman, there was also a new record in arrivals of visitors and residents, with 30,537 passengers; the most arrivals ever.

The significant growth of visitation for all three islands maintained an upward trajectory over the past five years. In 2015 the destination welcomed 385,378 stayover visitors, and in 2019 there were 502,739 which equates to growth of 30.5 percent or 117,361 guests.

For the first time in Cayman’s history, three months in one calendar year peaked at over 50,000 stayover guests visiting Cayman’s shores—March, July, and December 2019. Overall, except for September 2019, the country broke previous arrival records for 11 months out of 12.

Reflecting on the positive impact that this growth in stayover arrivals has created, the Honourable Minister of Tourism Moses Kirkconnell shared, “Since I began my duties as the Minister for Tourism, it has been my government’s intention that through tourism initiatives we would create positive impacts across all three islands that improve the lives of Caymanian families. We know that tourism provides many opportunities—from entrepreneurship to sharing of our culture—that empower our people to thrive professionally and personally. This has been our focus for the past five years and will continue to be a top priority for us going forward.”

Acknowledging the work of the Department of Tourism, Cayman Airways and the many tourism stakeholders, the Hon Minister said, “A few years ago, my government and I challenged the Department of Tourism and our stakeholders to reach new markets and create growth opportunities for our tourism sector. The numbers speak for themselves—over 502,000 people chose our home—a humble three island trio with so much to offer—to make their dreams a reality by coming to the Cayman Islands. The Department of Tourism rose to that challenge through a variety of tactical and creative means, and we all should be proud of this amazing outcome.”

One particular area of growth was in the homeshare segment of new licensed tourism accommodation properties. “It is a great sense of accomplishment that the Department of Tourism is able to help the general public understand that tourism involves everyone. We remain committed to embracing travel trends early and ensuring that the Cayman Islands stay ahead of the curve when it comes to giving our visitors the idyllic dream sun, sand and sea vacation,” said Mrs. Rosa Harris, Director, Cayman Islands Department of Tourism.

Homesharing, however, was just one aspect of the formula for success in 2019. “Our stakeholders understand a mantra that I use frequently when discussing what makes us successful: ‘Airlift is our oxygen,'" said Harris. “My team and I invest significant effort to maintain and grow strong aviation partnerships to ensure that airline capacity and flight frequency throughout the year are maintained and increased wherever possible.

"This ever-increasing ease in accessibility for our visitors, paired with the exceptional Caymankind service and experience unique to our country, enable us to grow the business and set visitation records.”

Airlift from key visitor source markets for the destination showed significant expansion in 2019, whether through increased service or new airlines flying into the country. Sunwing announced the launch of service into the Cayman Islands from Toronto, Canada for February 2020. Meanwhile, WestJet and Air Canada increased capacity for 2020.

Canadian visitation rose by 13.25% in 2019 with a total of 30,128 travellers arriving to the Cayman Islands. Equally impressive is that fact that 2019 saw nine months of record Canadian visitation from January through June and again from September through November.

I was there last spring and had a fabulous time. Grand Cayman is terrific, but I also recommend Little Cayman for scuba diving fans or folks who just want an old-time, get-away-from-it-all holiday.

“The Cayman Islands Department of Tourism and our island partners are elated to witness yet another year of record breaking growth in Canadian visitation to our very special trio of islands,” said Raymond Mathias, Business Development Manager for the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism. “We hope to continue this trend through 2020 as our destination is more accessible than ever thanks to 9 direct flights from Toronto a week this winter via our amazing partners, Air Canada, WestJet and a new flight from Sunwing.”